E 470 
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.U58 
Copy 1 



SANITARY COMMISSION. 

No. 75. 



EEPOET 0.^ THE OPERATIONS 

OF THE 

U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION 

IN THE 

YALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 

Made September 1st, 1863, 

BY 

E>R. J. S. NEWBERRY, 

Sec'y Western Department. 



Louisville, Ky., September 1, 1863. 
F. L. Olmsted, Esq., 

Genl. Secretary Sanitary Commission. 

Dear Sir : — I herewith inclose our usual monthly financial 
report and roster of the Department ; also, reports of receipts 
and disbursements of stores from the various receiving and 
distributing depots for the month of August, as well as a tab- 
ulated statement of our entire transactions in the Supply De- 
partment for the two years ending September 1st, during 
which time I have had the supervision of the operations of the 
Sanitary Commission at the West. I also inclose a report of 
the Hospital Directory at this ofiice. In addition to all these, 
I now propose what I have frequently before attempted of late, 
but from the pressure of duties have not achieved, a brief re- 
sume of the present condition of our operations in all parts of 
the "Western Department. 

Having recently returned from a visit to all the important 



2 

foci of our work in the Home Field, I can give you fresli and 
interesting informatioii, from my own observation, of the zeal 
■and success of the thousands of our co-workers who, through- 
out the Northwestern States, are devoting themselves to the 
preparation of supplies for the sick and wounded of our army. 
From the different military departments I am in receipt of so 
recent and full reports from our agents, that I can also give 
you a fair representation of our late operations in the army. 
In order that this may be the more readily comprehended, per- 
mit me to take up the different departments in succession. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE. 

A general quiet has prevailed on the Mississippi since the 
'Capture of Yicksburg, and we have of late been compelled 
Tto do nothing for wounded men. Yet our means have been 
fully and steadily employed in supplying the wants of the 
large and constantly increasing number of sick, multiplied by 
the advance of the season, in all the corps of Gen. Grant's 
army. From this cause the demand upon our efforts and re- 
sources has been no less than at any previous time ; and, in- 
deed, I may say that our operations in that Department have 
been, by an irresistible influence, gradually but constantly 
expanding. The many and great privileges accorded us by 
the General commanding and by others in authority have 
■opened new and wide doors of usefulness, and by accepting 
the responsibilities thus laid upon us, our duties have neces- 
sarily been increased. All the facilities accorded us by Gen. 
Grant at your solicitation have been continued to the present 
time, and such additional favors as we have since felt compell- 
ed to ask have been cheerfully granted. By reference to the 
schedule of disbursements in that Department, it will be seen 
that our expenditures there are now much greater than ever 
before. The ability of our agents to meet so fully the de- 
mands upon them is owing, in a great measure, to the vastly 
increased efficiency of the Chicago Branch, to which I shall 
have occasion to call your attention again. 

Dr. Warriuer still continues at the head of our force on the 



V- Mississippi, ably seconded bvDr. Fithian, Mr. Way, Mr. Tone, 
i^^ &c., and I need scarcely say that every day's experience has 
.^ given me a higher appreciation of the value of his services. 
I regret to state that all our employees in that district have 
sooner or later been prostrated by disease, and have been fur- 
loughed home for a longer or shorter time to recuperate. 
There is no one of them who is not now performing his duty 
at the peril of life and health, braving the dangers of his posi- 
tion with a degree of devotion for which he should be duly 
honored. 

After the opening of the Mississippi, one of our agents was 
despatched to Port Hudson to respond to any demand that 
might be made upon us at that point. But, from the assu- 
rance that a large amount of supplies were to be sent up by 
the agents of the Commission at New Orleans, no effort has 
yet been made to carry stores below JSTatchez, where there are 
many sick not likely to be supplied from other sources, and 
where we have, in consequence, established a depot. 

The sickness among the troops at Vicksburg has been, as I 
have said, increasing of late, both in the number and severity 
of the cases ; the prevailing forms of disease being malarious 
fevers and dj'sentery. Cases of the former have occurred so 
malignant in character that they have been considered yellow 
fever, even by some of the surgeons. Yet I think the testi- 
mony is conclusive that no true yellow fever has occurred 
there. 

To meet this wide-spread and severe malarious disease, the 
supply of quinine being inadequate, I have sent down with 
other stores over 200 ounces in 500 gallons of whisky, all 
bottled and properly labeled, to be distributed and used both 
as a curative and prophylactic. Ice is another article so much 
needed at Vicksburg that the resources of the Commission 
have been freely used to supplement liberally the supply de- 
rived from Governmental sources. Aside from the ten tons 
taken, each trip, in the ice-box of the Dunleith, one barge car- 
rying one hundred tons has been sent down, and another will 
be dispatched as soon as the barge can be procured. 



In addition to the demands for tlie supply of our troops at 
Yicksburg, urgent appeals liave been made for the relief of 
the five thousand rebel sick left in our hands ; appeals which 
we have not felt at liberty wholly to disregard, as you will have 
learned from documents already in your hands. 

At Helena we have maintained a depot of greater or less 
importance, as the troops stationed there have varied in num- 
l)ers. This has been generally under the charge of Dr. Fithian, 
whose reports have from time to time been sent you. 

At Memphis we have, at present, no Inspector, Dr. Esta 
brook having been compelled hj illness to return to his home 
in Iowa. Mr. Christy is there in charge of the Lodge and the 
Eelief Department, Mr. Tone of the Department of Supplies, 
and everything is going on smoothly under their supervision. 
The Rev. J. P. T. Ingraham, of Milwaukie, Wisconsin, has 
been appointed to act as Hospital Visitor at this place, and 
will soon enter upon his duties. 

At Cairo, one of the most important points in the AYest, 
from a variety of causes, as you are well aware, our work has 
never been quite satisfactorily done. I am happy to say, 
however, that the evils from which we have suffered are in a 
fair way to be remedied. Mr. C. IS". Shipman, of Chicago, an 
exceedingly competent and excellent man, has been engaged 
to superintend all sanitaiy work at this point, has entered upon 
his duties, and has already effected marked changes and im- 
provements. The old Home was always crowded with soldiers 
■undeserving of its charities, thrust into it by the military au- 
thorities, who soon converted it into barracks, having all the dis- 
agreeable features common to institutions of that kind. The 
new Home, partly from the same cause, and partly from faults' 
in its situation and construction, failed to accomplish all we 
had hoped from it. Hedged about by difficulties otherwise 
insurmountable, I applied to Gen. Grant for assistance in the 
matter, and by him orders were issued, which, with the expen- 
diture of a moderate sum on our part, will enable us to place 
both the Relief and Supply Department in a condition highly 
satisfactory. 



DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND. 

Our work in this Department is now, as it has long been, 
under the immediate supervision of Dr. A. N, Read, our 
veteran Inspector, who has continued to exhibit in its man- 
agement the same energy and wisdom whic^ have character- 
ized his efforts in our behalf for months and years past. He 
has been ably seconded by Drs. Castleman and Parker as In- 
spectors, M. C. Read and L. Crane in the Relief Department, 
and Mr. Robinson, Mr. Butler, Mr. Crary, and others, in the 
Department of Supplies. I think I am justified in saying that 
there is no part of the whole army where our work is more 
systematically, thoroughly, and well done. The credit of this 
desirable result is not, however, due wholly to the corps of 
agents who have represented us so faithfully there, but should 
be equally shared by the military and medical authorities, all 
of whom have been at all times most cordially co-operative; 
not only granting cheerfully every reasonable request we have 
made, but^ even anticipating our wants ; often spontaneously 
proffering the aid we were about to need. The catalogue 
of the officers of this army, who have manifested towards the 
Sanitary Commission cordial and appreciative co-operation, is 
so long that I have not room to give it, but I may say, in gen- 
eral, that our relations are of the pleasantest character with 
ever}^ one. The evidences of hearty sympathy with us in our 
work, given by Gen. Rosecrans, Gen. Garfield, his chief of 
staff, Dr. Perin, the Medical Director, and Dr. Hamilton, Med- 
ical Inspector, have been frequently exhibited in the docu- 
ments forwarded to you. All of the regiments comprising 
this army, I believe, without exception, have received careful 
special inspections; the inspection returns having been for- 
warded from time to time to the Central Office. I am happy 
to be able to say, that their Sanitary condition is now and 
has long been remarkably good. The percentage of sick is 
as low, if not lower, than in any other army, and protective 
measures, such as the policing of camps, &c., are so thorough- 
ly observed that little is left to desire in that respect. 



6 

By reference to tlie accompanying schedule of disburse- 
ments, it will be seen that tbe amount of supplies furnislied 
to the Army of the Cumberland has been very large, (over 
20,000 bushels of vegetables alone since January 1st), yet since 
the battle of Stone River no great and Unusual emergency has 
called for extra efforts on our part. 

HOSPITAL GARDENS. 

The Ilospital Gardens established in this Department have 
more than justified all our anticipations. That at Murfrees- 
boro had, up to August 30th, furnished to the hospitals 248 
barrels of assorted vegetables, and the gardener estimates that 
it will produce during the balance of the season 800 bushels 
of tomatoes, 1,200 of Irish potatoes, 1,200 of sweet potatoes, 
25,000 heads of cabbage, besides large quantities of beans^ 
melons, turnips, &c. 

HOSPITAL CARS. 

From time to time reports have been made to you of the 
value of the service rendered by the Ilospital Cars on the Chat- 
tanooga and Louisville & Kashville Railroads. Time has 
only served to increase our estimate of their importance, and 
as the army has advanced farther and farther from its base of 
supplies, they have been made more and more useful, until 
they are now recognized as an indispensable institution. By 
one and another casualty, the cars forming the first hospital 
train having been destroyed, the Government authorized the 
purchase of three new ones to take their places. These are 
now being fitted up at Columbus, Ohio, on the plan of the Rail- 
road ambulances constructed by the Sanitary Commission in 
the East, and will be equally complete with those. It is sup- 
posed that they will be ready for use about the 15th of Septem- 
ber. The Ilospital Cars have been constantly under the su- 
pervision of Dr. Barnum as surgeon, and Mr. Mallory as stew- 
ard. 

The Home at IS'ashville, under the wise management of Mr. 
Crane, has been a complete success, and has proved of inesti- 



mable value to several tliousands of the poor fellows for whose 
benefit it was established. The number of inmates of the 
Home, the services rendered them, the amount of money col- 
lected for them, &c., are given in the detailed report of this 
institution which accompanies this. Rev. Mr. Hoblit still con- 
tinues his labors as Hospital Visitor at Kashville, Mr. Robin- 
son in charge of the Department of supplies ; the latter assist- 
ed by Mrs. Hopkins, widow of Dr.'; R. C. Hopkins, who died 
while acting as Inspector for the Commission. I regret to say 
that our corps of agents in attendance upon Gen. Rosecrans' 
army have suffered greatly from sickness, every one of them 
having passed through serious attacks of chill-fever or chronic 
diarrhea, by which they have been for a longer or shorter time 
unfitted for duty. All are, however, or soon will be, at their 
posts again, with the exception of Mr. Atwater, whose health 
is, I fear, permanently impaired. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE OHIO. 

Such portion of General Burnside's forces as have been sta- 
tioned in Eastern Kentucky have been carefully inspected by 
Dr. "W. M. Prentice, and their wants supplied from our depot 
at Lexington in charge of Mr. Butler. Important changes 
have, however, lately taken place in that Department: Dr. 
Prentice having resigned to take a position in the army, and 
Mr. Butler having been transferred to Murfreesboro, where his 
services were more urgently demanded. To supply the places 
of these gentlemen, Mr. S. H. Prentice has been appointed 
Storekeeper and Mr. R. K Strong Relief Agent, to follow the 
advancing column. 

From General Burnside we have received, as might have 
been expected, every required facility. He has issued special 
orders in our behalf, similar in import to those of Gen. Rose- 
crans and Gen. Grant. 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

The number of troops in this Department has, of late, been 
so small, their duties so light, and their casualties so few, that 



8 

there has been comparatively little to do in a sanitary way 
among them; so little, indeed, that three months since I trans- 
ferred Dr. Parker to the Army of the Cumberland, leaving Mr. 
Fracker, Storekeeper at Wheeling, now well known to all the 
surgeons and officers in the Department, to supply any want 
that might arise there, and I have reason to believe that his 
duty has been well and faithfully done. During the month 
of August, Dr. Theodore Sterling, temporarily employed for 
that duty, made a complete round of inspection among the 
troops stationed in West Virginia, giving me the result of his 
observation in a report which has already been furnished you. 

KANSAS. 

The troops stationed at Leavenworth, Fort Scott, and other 
places in Kansas and the Indian Territory, though they have 
never been very numerous, have been so situated as to be 
beyond the reach of many of the governmental supplies, liber- 
ally furnished to those more favorably located. As a conse- 
quence, appeals so earnest and urgent have been made to us 
in their behalf that I have felt compelled to make somewhat 
liberal appropriations for their relief. Mr. Brown is now, as 
he has been for several months, acting as our agent, and has 
been indefatigable in his efforts to reach even the most distant 
frontier post with his stores. He is now assisted in his labors 
by Dr. C. C. Slocum, and liberal shipments have recently been 
made him from Chicago and Cleveland. Mr. Brown's letters 
have from time to time been sent you. 

WESTERN CENTRAL OFFICE. 

Since the time of your visit, the work of our office has 
greatly expanded, and has been brought to a degree of system 
which I think would meet with your approbation. Our office 
corps consists of the following gentlemen, in addition to my- 
self, all of whom, by their faithfulness in the discharge of 
their duties, and by their earnestness and unity of purpose, 
have not only won mj personal esteem, but merit all honor 
and respect from the Commission and its friends. 



R. T. Thorne, Assistant Secretary. 

Dr. George L. Andrew, Medical Inspector and Editor of Tue 
Reporter. 

H. S. Ilolbrook, Superintendent of Hospital Directory. 

Dr. K E. Soule, Chief Clerk. 

C. S. Sill, Accountant. 

W. S. Hanford, Superintendent of Transportation. 

Rev. F. PI. Buslmell, Hospital Visitor and Relief Agent. 

"VVe have also in service a carefully selected and well trained 
corps of clerical assistants, whose names are enumerated in 
the roster which accompanies this. 

By an examination of the special reports of the different 
departments of our work, which I now send or have hereto- 
fore forwarded, you will be able to judge something of the 
merits, as to efficiency and accuracy, of those who have them 
under their immediate suj)er vision. 

The Hospital Directory has grown greatly in importance 
since the time of your visit. The number of names of sick 
and wounded on our books is at this date 186,433, represent- 
ing 737 regiments. The number of inquiries that have 
been made is 5,852; in answer to which the information 
required has been given in 4,016 cases. The number of hos- 
pitals now reporting regularly to us is 102 ; number which 
have reported, 184. 

The Sanitary Reporter, which has reached its eighth num- 
ber, is accomplishing far more for the cause than I had hoped 
in its establishment. Its issue has been increased to 6,000, 
and it is not yet sufficient to meet the urgent demands that are 
made upon us for it. Though in no sense the official organ 
of the Commission, and created to supply what was felt to be 
a pressing want in this Department, we have aimed to make it 
as catholic and national as possible, and have published all 
the information in regard to the general operations of the Com- 
mission that we have been able to procure. The testimonials 
which it has elicited ^from our friends and co-laborers, both 
East and West, are numerous and most flattering. 



10 



HOME FIELD. 

As I have before remarked, I have recently visited nearly 
all parts of the Home Field in this Department, and have had 
the pleasure of personal interviews with the noble band of 
loyal and humane men and women who are devoting themselves 
to the great work in which we are engaged. I cannot express 
to you the gratification that this round of visits has afforded 
me, nor my admiration of the devotion and efficiency which 
characterizes the great corps of our fellow-laborers to whom 
I have alluded. 

You are already, in general, familiar with the thorough 
system that pervades most of our branch societies in the 
I^orth-west, and know with what energy and success they 
have canvassed their respective fields of labor, and have united 
in perfect concert of action the Soldier's Aid Societies which 
have sprung up spontaneously, or as the result of their efforts, 
in every town and hamlet throughout the land. And you also 
know something of the admirable forms now generally adopt- 
ed for recording and reporting their business. I can assure you, 
however, that great progress has been made within a few months 
past, and that whatever you may have found to approve in the 
workings of the Supplj^ Department of the "West at the time 
of your visit, its present condition would still further merit 
3'our approbation. Transportation of stores is ever3'where 
gratuitous ; messages relating to our business are sent over the 
telegraph lines free, and the whole work of collecting and for- 
warding supplies, while it has all the soul and enthusiasm of 
a labor of love, is as thoroughly disciplined and systematized 
as any of the great enterprizes of purely mercenary business. 

As comparisons are confessedly invidious, and it is necessa- 
ry that some examples should be given, I shall take the liberty 
of refervjng to the work of each of our branches in succession. 

CHICAGO. 

Since the first of January, the work of the Chicago Branch 
has been completely revolutionized, and so greatly expanded 



11 

that it lias become tlie first in importance in the list of our 
auxiliaries at the West. Always loyal and earnest in spirit, 
and working with a degree of energy and success highly cred- 
itable to the small number who took an active part in its ope- 
rations, yet its efficiency has been many times multiplied 
during the present year. This you will perceive at a glance, 
when I tell you that on the 1st of January the whole number 
of packages of stores forwarded to the army was 4,500, while 
the present number is 16,315. This splendid result is due, in 
a great degree, to the intelligence and industr^^ of the two ad- 
mirable ladies, Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Iloge, who have insti- 
tuted a system of correspondence and canvassing, by which 
the interest of the whole North-west has been greatly stimu- 
lated, as well as drawn to this one focus. Contributions are 
now made to Chicago from all ^Northern Illinois, from parts of 
Iowa, all of "Wisconsin, Western Michigan, and Xortheru In- 
diana. So that the work of this Society contains the embodi- 
ment of the interest in our cause of an immense area. The 
shipments from Chicago have been .for man}^ reasons, mainly 
directed down the Mississippi, and have constituted two-thirds 
of all our contributions to the army of General Grant. The 
Chicago Branch, like that of Cincinnati, now publishes regu- 
larly a Monthly Bulletin of its operations, for distribution 
among its auxiliaries. 

In Central and Southern Illinois, the contributions o sani- 
tary stores mainly pass through the hands of the Illinois State 
Sanitary Bureau, Imt are almost all forwarded to our agents 
for distribution. With this Bureau our relations have alwaj-s 
been cordial and pleasant, and a spirit of co-operation has been 
manifested by its ofiicers which has contributed to the success 
of their efforts and ours. 

IOWA. 

The patriotism and benevolence of the people of Iowa flow 
toward the army in two channels : the one represented by the 
Eev. A. J. Kynett, and the other associate members of our 
Commission who are working in unity with us, and con- 
stitute a branch of our organization; and the other repre- 



12 

sented by Mrs. Wittenmeyer, holding an independent position, 
or in allian ce with the Western Sanitary Commission at St. 
Louis. The contributions made by those who are working with 
and for us in Iowa, are forwarded to Chicago for shipment to the 
army. 

/ "WISCONSIN. 

A wide-spread and active interest in our work has been for 
a long time exhibited in this State, and tliere are scattered over 
all parts of it Aid Societies, whose contributions, forming a 
large aggregate, pass through Chicago. In fact, all these socie- 
ties are united in a State organization, of which, however, the 
extent and the efforts are bounded by no State lines. It is but 
just that I should also mention that the State officers of Wis- 
consin, especially the Governor and Surgeon General, have 
from the iirst worked in harmony with us and have manifest- 
ed a broad and generous spirit, in striking contrast with that 
which has actuated the officers of some other Western States. 
Among those to whom we are indebted for the important part 
that Wisconsin has taken in our enterprize, I should not fail 
to mention the name of Mrs. H. L. Colt, Corresponding Sec- 
retary of the Milwaukie Societ}^ a lady who has been herself 
repeatedly to the army to look after the wants of our soldiers, 
and by her untiring efforts in the home-field in their behalf 
has most richly deserved their gratitude. Our co-laborers iu 
the North-west are planning a grand Fair, to be held in Chi- 
cago in October, for the benefit of our cause. No efforts will 
be spared to make it what it can hardly fail to be, a complete 
success. 

MICHIGAN. 

The people of Michigan, as you are aware, have not been 
behind the inhabitants of other portions of the North-west iu 
their interest or activity in the present war, and they have con- 
tributed largel}^ in the aggregate to our resources. But from 
the want of a general effort to excite interest and concentrate 
action, many parts of the State have, until recently, done com- 
paratively little for the cause in which we are engaged. The 
Western and Southern portions, however, have been forward- 



13 

ing supplies to Chicago for a year or more, and the South- 
eastern portion has sent something like a thousand boxes to 
the Soldier's Aid Society of Detroit since the period of its or- 
ganization, November 1st, 1861. Feeling the importance of a 
more thorough exploitation of the State of Michigan, about 
the 1st of August I visited Detroit in company with Professor 
Andrews, of Marietta College, for two years Colonel of the 
36th Ohio, who was engaged to act during his vacation as can- 
vassing agent for the Commission. On consultation with the 
managers of the Aid Society, among whom Miss Valeria 
Campbell deserves special mention for her unwearied efforts 
in behalf of the sick soldier, a thorough re-organization of this 
Society was effected, by which it became formally auxiliary to 
the Sanitary Commission, and instituted measures for inter- 
esting all parts of the State in its W(5rk. Since that time it has 
greatly increased in efficiency, and is now sending us large 
quantities of the most desirable varieties of stores. Of the 
Detroit Society, Mrs. Bela Hubbard is President, and Miss Va- 
leria Campbell, Secretary. 

INDIANA. 

The contributions of the people of Indiana to the sick and 
wounded in the a^jmy, have mainly passed through the hands 
of the Governor and a State Sanitary Bureau, acting under 
his directions. Yet several hundred packages of stores have 
been forwarded to Chicago from the ISTorthern portion of 
of the State, and perhaps an equal number from the Southern 
portion to the Commission of our auxiliaries organized at I*^ew 
Albany. This latter Society, during the first year of the war, 
nobly sustained the responsibility thrown upon them in the 
care of the sick in the hospitals of their own city. 

The accompanying report of the material aid which they 
extended to these hospitals, will give you some idea of their 
activity in our cause, but neither here nor in any other human 
history is record made of the zeal and sympathy with suffer- 
ing which led them to sacrifice months of their time in inces- 
sant efforts for the welfare of the great number of sick and 
wounded who were crowded in upon them. 



14 

OHIO. 

As you are aware, tlie State of Ohio occupies a conspicuous 
and enviable position among the noble sisterhood who have 
given so freely of their treasures and their blood to save our 
country from ruin, and to maintain, in purity and permanence, 
all our free institutions. Among the forms in which her patri- 
otism has exhibited itself, not the least worthy of mention is 
her general and earnest support of our philanthropic organi- 
zation. As I have before stated, aside from all that has been 
done by individuals, other organizations, or the State Govern- 
ment, Ohio has now furnished to the army, through the agen- 
cies of the Sanitary Commission, over thirty thousand packa- 
ges of supplies; in other words, half of all that has been con- 
tributed to the Sanitary Commission in the Missippi Valley^ 
, This great efficiency which Ohio has manifested in our work 
is unquestionably due, for the most part, to the early organi- 
zation of three Branch Commissions within her limits, each of 
which has been most earnest and untiring ; and two, that of 
Cincinnati and Cleveland, managed with wonderful energy and 
skill, have been pre-eminently successful and useful. That of 
Columbus, though accomplishing less than the others named, 
has done a noble w^ork, which will compare favorably with that 
of any other similarly situated in the land. "With the w^orking 
of the branches at Cincinnati and Cleveland you are already 
considerably familiar, as you have visited them, have witness- 
ed the perfection of their methods, and have seen abundant 
evidence' of the great good which they have accomplished. 

CINCINNATI. 

The Branch Commission at Cincinnati has now distributed 
over twelve thousand packages of stores, and is still as active and 
prosperous as at any former period of its history. In addition to 
the contribution of materials to which I have referred, the Cin- 
cinnati Commission has expended large sums of money and a 
vast amount of labor, of thought, of sympathy, and kindness 
in the care of the sick in the hospitals of that city ; in the 
equipment and management of hospital steamers ; in the care 



15 

of troops passing tlirongli or quartered in the city^ and in 
sustaining its admirable "Home," wliicli lias now accommo- 
dated forty thousand soldiers. So great and varied are the 
charities which it has dispensed, that I can do no more here 
than allude, in a general way, to that which it would take vol- 
umes to describe, that which has served to make the Cincinnati 
Branch of the Sanitary Commission known and blessed in 
every department and division of our Western armies. 

COLUMBUS, 

From the inland position of this city, and her remoteness 
from the seat of war, the inhabitants of Columbus have not 
felt, to so great a degree, the varied and pressing demands to 
which Cincinnati has so nobly responded; but our representa- 
tives there have not been regardless of the responsibilities 
which have fallen to their lot. They have answered promptly 
and efficiently all appeals which I have made, and have 
forwarded an aggregate of supplies in the highest degree 
creditable to them. The territory tributary to Columbus never 
being thoroughly canvassed, I have authorized the employment 
of an excellent man to act, for a limited period, as canvassing 
Agent in this district. In addition to its other work, the 
Columbus Branch has built, from its own funds, a very com- 
plete and tasteful " Home " for the accommodation of the sick 
and discharged soldiers passing through that city, and need- 
ing, as they have done sadly, the aid that has been there ren- 
dered them. 

CLEVELAND. 

Of the work of our branch at Cleveland I shall say little, as 
it is already well known to you, and a free expression of my 
admiration for its methods and successes might seem to you 
not altogether in good taste. The merest justice, however, to 
the Soldiers Aid Society of ]^orthern Ohio, requires that I should 
at least allude to the energy which has already furnished us, 
from a limited district, 10,000 packages of stores ; to a skill and 
wisdom which, with simple, though nicely adjusted, machinery, 
lias accomplished so quietly and peacefully this great result; 



16 

and to a loyalty to us and our national platform, pure and un- 
qualified from tlie first. In addition to the work which Cleve- 
land has done in the Supply Department, she has also per- 
formed her part in the work of special relief. She has, fov 
many months past, kept up a Home and Hospital for sick and 
discharged soldiers passing through, at which have been lodged 
over 2,000; and 10,000 have been fed. 

PITTSBURGH. 

Owing to a series of unfortunate circumstances, which it is 
not necessary that I should now enumerate, among wliich, 
however, is not to be reckoned any want of patriotism or 
benevolence on the part of the citizens of Pittsburgh, this 
large and wealthy city has only lately become actively inter- 
ested in our work. Up to the spring of the present year 
the Sanitary Commission had there no resident representa- 
tive. Much had been done, however, by the inhabitants of 
Pittsburgh in behalf of the sick and wounded in the army, 
or they had sent delegations to the scenes of several of our 
earlier battles, had chartered and freighted two steamers 
for the relief of the wounded at Shiloh, and had brought 
home and carefully nursed in their midst a large number of 
those who, at that time, could be but imperfectly accommo- 
dated in the military hospitals at the "West. In addition to 
this, a " Subsistence Committee " had been organized for the 
purpose of supplying food to the troops passing through the 
city, and at the date which I have given, they had ministered 
to the wants of nearly 100,000 men. After the battle of Stone 
Eiver, Mr. Shippen, who had been sent "West by Gov. Curtin 
to look after the wants of Pennsylvania soldiers, and who, in 
the prosecution of his mission, had become intimately ac- 
quainted with, and very much interested in, our national 
method, was engaged to canvass Western Pennsylvania in 
our behalf. At Pittsburgh, he was received most cordially, 
and, in response to his appeals, a local Commission was organ- 
ized, consisting of some of the best known and most estimable 



17 

men and women of the city. From that time to the present 
our Pittsburgh associates have exhibited a devotion to the cause 
in which they are interested which has elicited my warmest 
admiration, and has been the means of contributino; laro-elv 
to our resources, l^owhere, indeed, so far as I know, since 
the war commenced, has any similar society accomplished so 
much in so short a time after its organization. It has already 
expended several thousand dollars in the purchase of sanitary 
stores, and has forwarded to us some three thousand packages, 
including a large proportion of tlie choicest and most valuable 
articles which we distribute, all prepared with care and skill, 
which reflects the highest credit on those who have its busi- 
ness in charge. 

Of the Pittsburgh Branch, Mr. Thomas Bakewell is Presi- 
dent, and Mr. J. R. Hunter, Secretary of the Gentlemen's 
Committee; Miss Rachel McFadden, President, and Miss 
Mary Bissell, Secretary of the Committee of Ladies. 

BUFFALO. 

Although in defining the limits of ray department, Buffalo 
was excluded from it and attached to that of the East, the 
logic of events has proved stronger than our classificalion, 
and whatever may have been her theoretical relations, Buffalo 
has become practically a most important auxiliary in our ef- 
forts in behalf of the armies of the West. It is true that most 
of the troops from the State of New York have been in service 
in some of the Eastern or Southern Departments, yet with a 
noble generosity and catholic spirit, the Army Aid Societ}' 
of Buffalo has overlooked all selfish considerations, and has 
ever manifested a desire to extend her aid to such soldiers of 
our ISTational Army, as most needed help and could be most 
readily reached. 

Acting on this plan, she has sent to us over three thousand 
packages of stores, which have been distributed in the Depart- 
ments of the Cumberland and the Tennessee, and I have 
learned to rely with confidence upon receiving a prompt and 
vigorous response to any appeal which I might be led by any 



18 

present emergency to make. When I consider how small a 
territory is tributary to the Buffalo Society, I cannot refrain 
from awarding high praise to those who have drawn from it so 
much to comfort and bless those for whom we are laboring. 

KENTUCKY BRANCH. 

During the first year of the war, Louisville was at or so near 
the front, that the earnest and able men who compose the 
Branch Commission at this point, were occupied and engross- 
ed in the work of distributing stores, and in various ways 
meeting the wants of the sick and wounded in their own 
midst, and in the hospitals scattered at various points through 
Kentucky and Tennessee. At this time all stores intended 
for the army of the Cumberland were forwarded through their 
agency, and their depository here had the double character of 
a contributing and distributing depot. I look back with a 
kind of horror to those dark days in the history of this rebel- 
lion, when the theatre of war was at the very doors of the 
citizens of Louisville ; when camps were in her suburbs and 
troops thronged her streets ; when the hastily improvized hos- 
pitals, including all the public school edifices, were crowded 
with sick, so imperfectly supplied with care and comforts that 
every loyal family felt impelled to contribute the tithe of its 
domestic treasures and send its delicately reared ladies to min- 
ister, by their own personal efforts, to the suffering and des- 
titute in the hospitals of the wards in which they lived. IsTo 
similar scenes had been witnessed in our previous history, un- 
less in the epidemics of yellow fever at Norfolk and Phila- 
del[)hia, in which the same paralyzing gloom pervaded these 
cities, on which dark back-ground were illuminated similar 
bright examples of christian charity. In the works of love 
and mercy of those days, our Louisville associates bore a con- 
spicuous part; and from that period to the present they have 
never ceased to devote a large part of their time and thought 
to the care of the great number of objects of pity and charity 
which merciless war has thrown upon their hands. When 
the armies were further removed, and the central ofilice waa 



19 

transferred to this point, all the general business of the Sani- 
tary Commission was relinqaislied to this office, while the 
members of the Kentucky Branch, by a division of labor, 
assumed the responsibility of all the local work, the cure 
of the city hospitals, twenty-two in number, and address- 
ed themselves to devise new measures of relief for soldiers 
passing through the city, who were the proper objects of our 
charity. The "Home," with all its cares, was entrusted to 
their management; was largely extended, at an expense of 
several thousand dollars, paid from the local treasury, and waa 
made capable of accommodating one thousand men at a time. 
It is now the most extensive and complete establishment of 
the kind which exists in the country. Since January 1st, the 
"ilome" has lodged seventeen thousand of those for whom it 
was especially designed, while a much larger number of pas- 
sing troops have been fed at the " Soldier's Kest" attached to 
it. 

Since the State of Kentucky has felt, in all its severity, the 
iron hand of war, its power to contribute to any benevolent 
fund has been almost entirely destroyed; so that while we have 
ample evidence of a deep and wide-spread spirit of loyalty among 
its people, they have not been able to express their interest 
in our work by the liberal donations received in former 
months. The amount of stores sent to the Kentucky Branch 
from the interior of the State is now very small; but as you 
will see by the accompanying tables, since its organization, it 
has issued over six thousand packages. 



Before leaving this subject, I cannot refrain from expressing 
to you my conviction that one of the most important results 
attained by the Sanitary Commission is to be found in the 
home field; but one in all our reports to the present time en- 
tirely over-looked. I allude to its influence in inspiring the 
people in every farm-house and cottage, wherever a good 
grand-mother is knitting a pair of socks, or a child making a 



20 

pin-cushion, with a wider, deeper, higher, and purer patriot' 
ism. 

I need not dwell upon this topic, for I am convinced its truth 
will be universally acknowledged. And yet it is due that this 
truth be recognized and put on record. From all parts of the 
country we have the testimony of our contributors that they 
are driven by the spirit which pervades their work, to open 
and desperate antagonism with disloyalty in every form; and 
that unwittingly they are everywhere doing missionary work 
for the national cause. "While our Government has one great 
army in the field, of those wdio are pouring out their life-blood 
in its defense, the Sanitary Commission has in the home field 
another great army, composed of the mothers and sisters, 
wives and sweethearts of our brave soldiers, working scarcely 
less earnestly and efficiently for the same great end. 
Very respectfully, 

J. S. NETVTBERRY, 

Secy West. Dept. U. S. San. Com^ 



APPENDIX. 



ABSTRACT OF FINANCIAL REPORT. 
The amount of monej' expended in the Western Department from the gen-' 
eral fund of the U. S. Sanitary Commission, to Sept. 1st, 1863, is |1J4,187 67^ 
the entire cash expenditure of the Sanitary Commission for the same period 
being $700,114 85, Of this fund the Western States have contributed in 
cash, as follows: 

Ohio, , $2,200 

Michigan, ^ 592 

Illinois, ,. 546 

Indiana, 500 

Minnesota, 45 

Kentucky, 500 

The remainder has been donated by the Middle and Eastern States, For-' 
eiga Countries, and our Pacific States and Territories, which last have 
given as follows : 

California, $501,101 90 

Nevada, 53,683 95 

Oregon, , 26,33 IS 

Washington 6,308 97 

During the same period the differen Western Branches of the U. S. Sani- 
tary Commission have expended ^160,000 in cash, mostly in the purchase of^ 
materials and supplies. 



SOLDIER'S HOMES. 



From the organization of these Institutions to September 1st, 1863, there 
have been admitted into six of the principal ones in the West 167,090 sol- 
diers. The Home at Cincinnati has furnished food, rest, and other needed 
assistance to 42,673; that at Cleveland, to 11,704; that at Cairo, to 51,170; 
that at Louisville to 50.825; that at Nashville, during five months, to 2,542; 
and the Lodge at Memphis, during two months, to 3,067 soldiers who were 
not otherwise provided for. These figures do not include those passing 
in companies, regiments, and brigades, whose names were not entered on the 
books. The data are incomplete in most of the Homes during the earlier months 
of their existence, so that we can only give approximative numbers; but we 
can safely say that these Institutions have furnished, since their organization, 
over 500,000 meals and over 250,000 lodgings, besides all the other services 
rendered in the correction of pay and discharge papers; procuring half fare 
tickets on railroads; collecting pay, and, above all, shielding them fromswind" 
lers of every name and degree. 



gUPPLIfij^ DlSTHlBaTED B\^ THE U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION 
IN THE WESTERN DEPARTMENT TO SEPT. 1st, 1863. 



BEDDING AND CLOTHING. 



r.lankets, 


13,402 


Mosquito Bars, 


1,410 


Bedticks, 


25,377 


Neck Ties, 


554 


Boots and Shoes, pairs, 


6S2 


Niiiht Caps, 


4,817 


Comforts and Quilts, 


40,159 


Pillows, 


84,106 


Coats, Pants, and Vests, 


9,382 


Pillow CaseS) 


161,072 


Drawers, pairs, 


113,329 


Sheets, 


92,067 


Dressincf-gowns, 


12,610 


t^hirts, 


201,603 


Havelocks, 


1,864 


Slipper?, paits, 


16,172 


Hats and Caps> 


591 


Socks, " 


90,528 


Mattresses, 


716 


Straw, bales. 


131 


Mittens, pairs, 


9,764 


Towels and Handkerchiefs, 


297,960 


HOSPITAL 


PCRNITURE AND SURGEOXs' SUPPLIES. 




Adhesive Plaster, yards, 


1,298 


Envelopes, 


76,000 


Arm Rests, 


1,249 


Eye Shades, 


3,360 


Bags, 


1863 


Fans, 


12,500 


Bathing Tubs, 


11 


Furnaces, 


9 


Band'gs and Comp. Lint, 


lbs.. 229,948 


Hatchets, 


41 


Bedsteads, 


835 


Lamps, 


48 


Beds, Feather, 


9 


Lanterns, 


309 


Bed Pans, 


389 


Lamp Oils, gals, 


130 


Books and Pamphlets, 


233,000 


Lumber, feet. 


118,000 


Brooms, 


355 


Kettles, 


20 


Buckets, 


539 


Knives and Forks, pairs. 


1,833 


Candles, lbs, 


2.306 


Matches, gross, 


18 


Candlesticks, 


'170 


Matts, Door, 


43 


Carpeting, yards, 


246 


Matting Cocoa, yds, 


190 


Chairs, 


429 


Mops, 


153 


Clocks, 


6 


Oakum, bales, 


6 


Combs and Brushes, 


2,683 


Paper, reams. 


360 


Cooking Stoves and furn. 


10 


Pens, 


5,000 


Ranges, 


2 


Pincushions, 


27,851 


Coffins, 


7.3 


Pitchers, 


119 


Coffee Pots, 


118 


Spittoons, 


641 


Cots, 


442 


Spit Cups, 


1,825 


Chambers, 


766 


Sauce Pans, 


100 


Cups and Saucers, 


791 


Scissors 


48 


Cushions and Pads, 


53,142 


Soap, lbs, 


4,602 


Crutches, prs, 


3,321 


Splints, 


120 


Desks, 


25 


Spoons, 


2,504 


Dippers, 


81 


Sponges, lbs, 


230 


Drinking Tubes, 


lOS 


Stoves, 


8 



23 



Tables, 


53 


Urinals, 


313 


Table Cloths, 


822 


Wash Basins, 


1,100 


Tin Cnps, 


6,352 


Wash Tubs, 


10 


Tin Plates, 


4,016 


Wash Boards, 


12 


Tumblers, 


862 


Washing Machines, 


9 


ARTICLES 


i OF DIET 


AND DELICACIES. 




Ale and Cider, gals, 


11,584 


Hominy, lbs, 


640 


Apples, bush, 


1,386 


Horse Kaddish, bot. 


574 


Apple Butter, gals, 


2,160 


Hams, lbs. 


9,314 


Arrowroot, lbs, 


3,551 


Ice, tons. 


270 


Barley, lbs, 


10,204 


Lemons, bxs. 


337 


Beef, Dried, lbs, 


18,710 


Lemon tfyrup, bot. 


2698 


Beef, Concentrated, lbs, 


33,873 


Milk, concentrated, lbs, 


46,807 


Beans, bush.. 


21 A 


Mustard, lbs, 


1,866 


Bread, lbs. 


10,304 


Macaroni, lbs, 


160 


Broma, lbs. 


200 


Mackerel, lbs, 


50 


Butter, lbs, 


41,197 


Oat Meal, lbs. 


1.878 


Crackers, lbs, 


102,014 


Oranges, bxs, 


98.^ 


Cocoa, lbs, 


455 


Oysters, cans. 


1,094 


Chocolate, lbs. 


98 


Onions, bush. 


3,835 


Chickens, 


4,114 


Pepper, Ground, lbs, 


76S 


Chicken, cans. 


905 


Pepper Sauce, bot, 


2,076 


Coflee, lbs. 


2,009 


Pie Plant, bxs. 


61 


Cofi'ee, Concentrated, lbs. 


105 


Porter, bot. 


1,008 


Corn Meal, lbs. 


23,119 


Potatoes, bush. 


49,141 


Cheese, lbs, 


12,113 


Pickles, galls. 


28,573 


Corn Starch, lbs. 


3,253 


Rice, lbs, 


3,872 


Corn Dried, lbs. 


644 


Sasio, lbs. 


2,608 


Cakes and Cookies, lbs. 


4,204 


Salt, lbs. 


1,170 


Cranberries, bush, 


5 J 


Sardines, boxes. 


44 


Catsup, boti 


1,339 


Sausages, lbs. 


427 


Codfish, lbs, 


52,862 


Sour-krout, gals. 


3,780 


Eggs, doz. 


37,638 


Shoulders, lbs. 


4,160 


Farina, lbs. 


8,344 


Spice, lbs, 


568 


Flour, bbls. 


37 


Strawberries, qts. 


896 


Fruit, Preserved, cans, 


103,330 


Sugar, lbs. 


26,066 


Fruit, Dried, lbs, 


497,365 


Syrup and Molasses, galls, 


688 


Groceries, miscellaneous, lbs. 


51,614 


Tapioca, lbs, 


1 ,409 


Grapes, lbs. 


1,650 


Tea, lbs. 


8,007 


Hops, ibs, 


395 


Toast, bxs, 


76 


Herbs, lbs. 


1,502 


Tobacco, lbs. 


1,304 


Herring, bxs, 


25 


Tongues, lbs. 


238 


Halibut, bxs. 


40 


Vinegar, gals, 


1,514 


Honey, lbs. 


532 

jnSCELL 


Wines and Spirits, bot, 

ANEOUS. 


36,399 


Bromine, oz, 


200 


Charcoal, ground, lbs. 


227 


Quinine, oz, 


290 


Lime, bbls. 


10 


Twine, balls, 


58 


Chlor. Lime, bbls. 


39 


Cabbage Plants, 


25,000 


Disinfecting Powder, bbls. 


10 


Tomato Plants, 


25,000 


Copperas, lbs. 


300 


Chloroform, lbs. 


110 


Tin-ware, asst. bxs. 


26 


Flaxseed, lbs, 


329 


Graters, 


323 



24 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 673 678 4 



The foregoing list does not by any means comprise all the stores distrib- 
uted by the agents of the Sanitary Commission, but only the leading articles 
of such as are recorded on our books. Many thousand miscellaneous have 
not been enumerated, as they would swell the list to an inconvenient length ; 
and the records of our work for the first six months of the war are necessarily 
very imperfect ; much having been done, and great quantities of supplies 
given from the abundance of the enthusiastic people, of which no human his- 
tory exists. 

A careful estimate of the cash value of the stores known to have been dis- 
tributed by our agents in the Western Department during the past two years, 
fixes it at TWO MILLION TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND 
DOLLARS. The expenses attending their distribution have been thirty- 
five THOUSAND DOLLARS, or 0716 and one-half per cent, upon their valuation. 



\ 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



013 673 678 4 



